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But anyway AKB was never intended to be permanent but to build up a fanbase for their solo career. Eventually most girls have to move on and since she's already popular and also their dream of performing at Tokyo Dome is happening, I think she figured there's really no reason for her to stay anymore since the group finally reached the goals their wanted and Acchan is thinking about herself as a solo

If Horitaki Maki can be a deadfish actor and get drama roles, I don't see how it's a problem for Acchan. The only problem is she need to get rid of the idol/ex-idol title.

I wonder why she is graduating. Maybe she figured out she could make more ее solo.

Japanese politics is so broken. The people are apathetic. Entertainment is far more interesting.

If she was after the money, she wouldn't last a day. All I believe is that she wanted to go a step further, from the fish tank to the open sea, by expanding on what she learned in the last six years. But if she's thinking about venturing outside Japan as a star (in apparent imitation of Rinko Kikuchi, or of late, Kou Shibasaki in some samurai movie), it's going to be a long shot.

As for politics, in ten or twenty years time I'll not be surprised if a former idol be elected to the Diet or even becomes a Prime Minister (as in the case of local politics here, where celebrities have taken public office).

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It's been days since the last Stage preview... Oh, well, I'll find out.

If she was after the money, she wouldn't last a day. All I believe is that she wanted to go a step further, from the fish tank to the open sea, by expanding on what she learned in the last six years. But if she's thinking about venturing outside Japan as a star (in apparent imitation of Rinko Kikuchi, or of late, Kou Shibasaki in some samurai movie), it's going to be a long shot.

As for politics, in ten or twenty years time I'll not be surprised if a former idol be elected to the Diet or even becomes a Prime Minister (as in the case of local politics here, where celebrities have taken public office).

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It's been days since the last Stage preview... Oh, well, I'll find out.

And parodying the local tourism department's latest PR campaign:

I feel like I want to make a propaganda poster that supports AKB0048 by having random musicians of other genres with a "THIS MAN IS YOUR FRIEND! HE FIGHTS FOR FREEDOM!" and an AKB0048 logo near it.

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Old McDonald had a farm...Eyey Eyey O...And on his farm he had a Khzithak...Eyey Eyey O...With a ARHHFAHHAAAAAAAAARRRGIIIAAA HELP AAAUUU HELP! IT'S GNAWING OFF MY...

I think my mind is going to explode. I really had to shut off my logic sensors to enjoy this series. Episode 1 had a premise that I could never in my wildest dreams imagined to have existed. Episode 2 was better conceptually. Episode 3 made me shut off my logic sensors again.

Although this series is flashy, and can be entertaining if I tried not to make sense of things, the CG characters that look like flash characters just look so out of place and unnatural.

I understand this series is used to promote the idol group, but at least try to make sense. Btw, it was absolutely obvious who would have been selected as understudies since those characters have heart eyes and heart shape on their hair. There was no rhyme or reason for that, either.

^
If they tried to rotoscope the dance sequences it would be very difficult, especially as some camera shots pan around the scenery.

They had much public exposure, which would've made this show irrelevant. However, I feel that one of the show's true purposes is to give the chosen AKB girls a rich opportunity to learn how to be a seiyuu (as some of them admitted they wanted to be a voice actress while being interviewed during their first auditions).

The heart thing...the promotional poster....the fact that every main girl got rainbow hair..

We really didn't have to even see the heart thing to know which girls are the main ones..I mean come on..they were right there on the promotion poster.
Agree on the show purpose giving a chance for the girls wanting to be seiyuu a chance also, not just promotion since members like Nayaka Sayaka(?) I think that's her name? actually want to be a seiyuu and probably the other girls too but since almost all beside Watanabe Mayu and Yagami Kumi (maybe shawako too?) aren't popular or from a big agency, it's harder for them to pull strings to get voice acting jobs, and they don't have experience in it either, so management created this show for them. It kill 2 birds with one stone, promote AKB music to international anime fans that may not know them, and show off the girls' skill and get them more experience for the future.

And honestly just don't try to make sense of it....It's like Majisuka gakuen or half of AKB videos. I still don't understand why a hairy Diglett is suppose to represent the spirit of Japanese in AKB's Kaze wa Fuiteiru video but it's still interesting watching it breath out fire and the inspirational message to tsunami victims is still the same.

Anyway...after watching AKB documentary The show must go on...I wonder if they chose Iwata Karen as Nagisa because she's a survivor from the tsunami/earthquake disaster....Maybe they thought she could transfer her own feeling and experience into the character because she persevering in her own life too.

The girls arrive at Akibastar after 3 episodes of being shot at. A nice break, but this shows just how much of a non fanservice series it is (or not, given how this happens).

It turns out Kanata and Mimori are 75th trainees rather than 77th and have passed well enough to hold their own act. Their reception was rather lukewarm but the duo is like an dive bar opening act before the main show happens.

After meeting the other trainees, they move to MUCH loftier rooms while learning another slice of history where Nagisa sees another girl looking Acchan (who possibly looks like her, perhaps her mother was an AKB?). It was like they never left home really and for some, a huge jump from the old home. Though home sickness still hits Nagisa of all people, and for the record. The whole GodAkiP is not an evil person, DES is unambigously evil as this is a shoujo anime and moral greyness does not exist.

Kanata's family is that their family was part of the rebel resistance she enjoyed singing and dancing. However her father got taken out by Grim Reapers and Kanata thought to join the resistance by becoming an AKB0048. Leaving her sister behind along with it.

Training more rivalry issues flare up as dance training proves to be a pain and Kanata is told she is not up to the standard and she breaks down since she wanted to become an AKB0048 to fight back against the DES. Mimori calms her down and bring some comforting words and Sonata and Kanata finally become close again.

My thoughts on this episode prove it quite right with Okada being on helm as a scriptwriter. A pure shoujo episode above all else, anyone hoping for more guerilla concerts may have to wait.

An in-unverse response to the episode

I took the shot and killed some little girl's father, well I have orphaned countless of children before...only this time I find her still living and part of the same resistance groups I work for, aint Karma a bitch? - Ronaldo Amnon.

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Old McDonald had a farm...Eyey Eyey O...And on his farm he had a Khzithak...Eyey Eyey O...With a ARHHFAHHAAAAAAAAARRRGIIIAAA HELP AAAUUU HELP! IT'S GNAWING OFF MY...

* Anyone looking for Acchan may have to wait; so far we haven't heard a word about her. Perhaps they're hiding her existence for a reason, perhaps even mirroring IRL events such as her eventual graduation?
* Yep, their new crib is a Texas jump from anything else, reminiscent of a Harvardian Final Club, with loads of amenities. But to enjoy them is to do some real hard work required of a trainee to become a full member.
* Their dance instructor is strongly reminiscent of Bobby Margot.
* Now there's a merchandise CM.
* Also, an insert song performed by Kanata and Mimori.
* HEAVY ROTATION.

* Anyone looking for Acchan may have to wait; so far we haven't heard a word about her. Perhaps they're hiding her existence for a reason, perhaps even mirroring IRL events such as her eventual graduation?
* Yep, their new crib is a Texas jump from anything else, reminiscent of a Harvardian Final Club, with loads of amenities. But to enjoy them is to do some real hard work required of a trainee to become a full member.
* Their dance instructor is strongly reminiscent of Bobby Margot.
* Now there's a merchandise CM.
* Also, an insert song performed by Kanata and Mimori.
* HEAVY ROTATION.

Mimori now makes me think of her as Sheryl Nome now, this was sorta like the scene where Sheryl's top fell off and she was just so casual about it.

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Old McDonald had a farm...Eyey Eyey O...And on his farm he had a Khzithak...Eyey Eyey O...With a ARHHFAHHAAAAAAAAARRRGIIIAAA HELP AAAUUU HELP! IT'S GNAWING OFF MY...

this ep is slower pace, lot of shoujo stuffs...Wanted Momori to be spoil diva but at least got Kanata angst for drama lol
They give you history of AKB theater, etc
and Yuko still being energetic squirrel that she is :3
Their dance instructor...is...a guy? O_O i thought he was a girl....

While the AKB0048 crew arrives at AkibaStar, they meet two new members : Kanata (Sonata's sister) and Mimori. Unfortunately, Kanata suffers a dark past and always enter in conflict with her younger sister until they forgive each other in the end. Lot of funny moments in this episode, even though it's dominated by Okada's angsty drama, and the AKB0048's instructor is a drag queen in fact (I have two drag queens this week ) ! As for the show itself, I hope they'll announce a season 2 if it does well, but Atsuko will likely die at the end of first season (my predictions).

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I will protect you from the darkness and I change my destiny.MyAnimeList